3 Easy Ways to Reset Your Child’s Sleep Routine

With back-to-school season upon us, routines and schedules and sleep are at the forefront of my thought process. Being a busy mom, I’ll admit that I struggle with my entire family’s sleep routine….especially the littlest members of my family. The kids are always fighting to stay up later, I’ve often got endless do-to lists that can last well into the night and honestly, sleep is generally the first thing that we give up. In addition to these struggles, we’ve gotten into the habit of late nights and lazy mornings during the summer months.  All these things together have made me realize that our sleep schedules need a major back-to-school overhaul. That’s why I’ve been racking my brain, getting tips from the experts and coming up with easy ways to simplify my family’s sleep routine. If getting a healthier sleep routine for yourself and your kids is on your back-to-school to-do list, read on for discover my three easy ways to reset your child’s sleep routine.

I’ll be the first to admit that once the kids and I get our sleep routine mixed up during the summer months, it’s hard to make the necessary adjustments for back-to-school. Already we’re beginning to slowly make some changes but I’ll tell ya, it can be beyond frustrating. However, there are simple tasks that can help reset your child’s sleep clock and reset your routines. I recently stumbled across some tips from sleep expert Dr. Tanya Altmann that included simple changes like exercise daily, avoid stimulation at bed time and create a routine. These along with Dr. Altmann’s tips got me thinking about what works well for my family and while I recognize that every family’s needs are different, I wanted to share with you what’s working for us and why I think you should add resetting your child’s sleep routine to your back-to-school list.

Now, before I get into what we’re doing to improve our sleep routines, I need to tell you a little more about my kids. Both of them fight sleep like it’s a punishment but my littlest is the worst. He complains about being the first one to go to bed EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. While I want to tell him mama will gladly go to bed first, I know it’s my job to ensure that he gets the rest his little growing body needs. In addition to begging for five more minutes about fifteen times each night, he also likes to get out of his bed and come explain to me in forever long explanations why he can’t sleep. Sigh….can any of you mamas relate? So, how do we, as moms who desperately want to go to bed, get our kids on a good sleep routine so that WE can get on a good sleep routine? Well, there are a few simple changes that have made a BIG difference in my home.

Start Now and Move Bedtime Back Slowly

In the past I’ve had the thought process that summer bedtime and school-year bedtime are simply different. And in our home they are. However, telling my eight year old’s body that one night it’s OK to go to bed at 9:30 and the next night he needs to be in bed at 8 doesn’t exactly work. So, weeks before school starts back we begin making small shifts in bedtime. For us, the best approach is to move bedtime back by just a few minutes every night. It’s such a subtle change. We simple take the two weeks before school starts and move bedtime back by five minutes every night. Not only does this help my little guy’s body adjust to the new bedtime but it also ensures that he doesn’t see the change in bedtime as punishment because it’s such a small change every night.

Let Your Kids Help Create a Fun Bedtime Routine

Just as Dr. Altmann recommends, we are BIG on bedtime routines. However, the routines I come up with alone aren’t always a success.  One thing I’ve started trying is asking my son what his perfect bedtime routine looks like. For him, it’s a bubble bath instead of a shower and a special snack before bed paired with his favorite book. This I can do! While my routine for him might look a little different, by allowing him to be involved in creating his own routine, he’s invested in the outcome and is much less likely to fight me when it comes to get ready for bed each night.

Reset Your Entire Family’s Sleep Routine with Melatonin

For years now I’ve used melatonin on an as-needed basis to reset my sleep routine. It’s important to note that melatonin is designed as a short-term solution for occasional sleeplessness and to re-set your sleep routine. It works fantastically well for me and is just the little nudge I need when our sleep schedules take that end-of-summer swing.  There are tons of melatonin options out there but I personally choose Natrol Melatonin. As the #1 melatonin brand in America, this 100% drug-free and non-habit forming supplement comes in two easy-to-take forms; a unique fast dissolve form that enables faster absorption and can be taken anytime, anywhere with no water needed and a gummies form that is non-GMO, gelatin-free, vegetarian and has no artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives. Seriously, Natrol Melatonin is the best way that I’ve found to reset my sleep routine so, with the addition of the NEW Natrol Kid’s Melatonin line, it only made sense that I would give my children the same benefits.

Since melatonin is pediatrician recommended* (*Recommended by the Canadian Pediatric Society), I’ve wanted to add it to my children’s sleep routine for quite some time but haven’t been sure of exactly the right product for us. However, now that Natrol has a Kid’s line of melatonin that, just like the adult line offers both fast dissolve tablets and gummies, I’ve got the perfect addition to my other simple changes that helps reset my kids’ sleep routines and get them back into a healthy sleep habits in time for back-to-school.

In addition to being a brand I already trust personally, Natrol’s new Kids Melatonin product is the perfect choice to safely and effectively promote restful and healthy sleep that’s recommended for kids ages four and up. Just like the adult version, it’s designed for occasional sleeplessness and is 100% drug-free and non-habit forming. It’s 1mg strength is just right for my little guy and he adores that he gets a gummie at bedtime.

For my family (and I do know that every family is different) the easy addition of melatonin to our night-time routine as we make the switch to back-to-school makes all the difference! While I’m admittedly focused on my little guy and getting him back in the habit of a good night’s sleep, I love that with Natrol, I can trust that he’s sleeping great and that I am too!

Now it’s your turn. As you prepare for back-to-school in the coming weeks, I challenge you to simplify your entire family’s sleep routine. Start by trying my tips or figuring out exactly what works for you, including adding Natrol Melatonin to your entire family’s nightly routine. You can learn more about the benefits of melatonin by clicking here.

Then tell me, what challenges do you face with trying to establish a good back-to-school sleep routine and how do you combat them?

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases.